Day 17 - to take a hydrometer reading or not?

[Zwerg]

Newb question for you guys:

This is a OG 1.080 La Chouffe clone, Belgian Ardennes yeast. Fermentation was really vigorous for the first few days (the blowoff tube was necessary), and the temp has fluctuated between 68-73 F throughout the fermentation (I don't have temperature control).

It's now been sitting in primary for 17 days, and I was planning to bottle it on day 21, but it looks like there's still a lot of churn and bubbling going on. I have repeatedly read on here that you should go by hydrometer readings only, but I don't want to bother opening it up if it's obviously still active.

Based on the video, is there any chance this is even close to done? Given the amount of bubbles and the fact that the yeast is not only still in suspension but still actively swirling around (esp. given this is supposed to be a highly flocculent yeast and I used whirlfloc), seems like I might as well just give it another week before I even take a reading. Am I right?

 

[Zwerg]

For those who don't want to download a video, here is a still photo that at least gives an idea.

 

[hottpeper13]

I let my big beers(1.070+) in primary for 4-5 weeks. I have all clear fermenters and go by activity more then hydrometer. Basically fermentations go thru phases and they overlap. After FG is reached conditioning is taking place,my beers seem to be tastier sooner if I let them condition on the yeast for a week or two. My RIS's are 1.100- 1.134 and those are 5-6 weeks on yeast.
My I suggest a wrap on the carboy to keep the temp steady,no temp control is OK for some yeasts,but all like temps even not fluctuating.

 

[hotbeer]

I'd wait till it cleaned up. Why waste beer taking a sample if it's not going to be bottled. Though if your plans are to do something to clarify it before bottling or kegging, then I suppose now is as good as any.

I've let them go much longer to clarify. I haven't been disappointed with any I was patient with. My only disappointment was the one I rushed.

I very recently had a beer that was looking all clean and I thought I was finally going to have beer out of the fermenter in two weeks. However the next morning when I was going to get a SG sample, I found it had started back up and everything was murky and bubbling away.

I think this is the one I let my mash temp spike way too high mid way through. Not sure if that might cause something like that or not.

I also ignore the airlocks or bubblers on the blow off tubes and just look real close into the beer since I use clear fermenters.

 

[Sammy86]

By the picture and video it looks to be actively fermenting. Leave it alone for another 7-10 days and then take a look and see what you got.

 

[Holden Caulfield]

My experience with the Westmalle strain (WLP530) is that it ferments very rapidly at first but the last 5 -10 degrees of specific gravity go very very slowly. The Ardennes strain may act similarly. Based on the bubbles, krausen, and the fact that the beer has not darkened (cleared) it is still fermenting. As others have mentioned, give it more time until the krausen drops and the beer clears/darkens before doing anything.

Regarding taking a hydrometer reading, if you keg, which is what I do, you do not have to worry about bottle bombs so I just wait until 3-5 days after there is no airlock activity and it visually looks done (I know my system) then keg to avoid opening up the fermenter and exposing the beer to oxygen/possible infection.

If you bottle, the risk of bottle bombs is very real, especially with Belgian yeasts. That said, taking a hydrometer reading when you think the beer is done and then 3 days later is a much safer approach.

 

[Zwerg]

Thanks, everyone!

Re: the temperature fluctuations, I don't think it's due to ambient temperature changes - my understanding is the yeast itself will push the temperature up into the 70s (my ambient stays around 68 or so). I've read it can be good to just let Belgian yeasts do what they want, so I haven't worried too much about it...

Re: bottle bombs, I'm planning to bottle this into champagne bottles with crown caps. I like the idea of just waiting until it looks done and then waiting a bit longer, and like the idea of minimizing hydrometer readings. Hopefully if the FG at bottling is in line with the expected FG, I won't have to worry about bombs?

 

[davidabcd]

Leaving a higher ABV beer in the fermenter for a few weeks is great for the beer, as mentioned, and that has been my experience but I would be pretty suspicious if a beer took longer than a couple of weeks to finish active fermentation. I know yeast does its own thing and all but I've made a lot of Belgians over the years and have yet to have active fermentation take place beyond 8-9 days, if that.
NB: I am totally happy to be wrong and hope I am here and it's just the nature of that yeast (which isn't a diastatic type).
As an aside, I use 7.9 gallon fermenters so that I have never needed a blow-off tube, no matter they style. Basically, I can't see wasting beer in a manner that is avoidable. Plus there can be suck back. Hopefully you used something like vodka or Starsan.

 

[Zwerg]

Thanks. Yeah, the blow-off tube is in a container of Star San. So far I don't see any sign that there has been suck back, fingers crossed on that. I went with a blow-off tube after my previous beer (also high ABV) kept blowing the bung off the carboy, and also filling the airlock with krausen.

Yeah, I don't know why it's taking so long, but given that others have shared stories in this thread and elsewhere of slow finishes, I'm hoping there's nothing to worry about.

 

[davidabcd]

Good luck. It is hard not to make beer though, so we all have that going for us.
I was thinking further about the carboys--glass in particular. Adjusting your recipe to spread one recipe across two glass carboys with the intention of leaving sufficient room in both would work. With the plastic I use, it gives almost a three gallon buffer against blow-offs which is about 63% full. I only have one carboy and I'm not willing to short a five-gallon batch.
Some folks relish in having blow-offs occur so, like so much with beer making, different views and opinions.
Not to be a nervous goose, but since you appear to be pretty new, be careful with the glass carboys while carrying and cleaning if those points aren't already on your radar. A milk crate is good. Some straps are good.

 

[Zwerg]

Thanks! Yes, part of me just has to pray when I'm lugging a full glass carboy from my kitchen to closet and back again... I will think about your suggestion of splitting across two carboys, sounds like a good solution!

 

[hotbeer]

Don't worry too much about bottle bombs either. My advice though is to just make sure you are near the expected FG or lower. And make certain to take the actual quantity of beer into account when you calculate the priming sugar to add.

Also if you look into the beer and it's in a pot with a shiny inside and you see wavy patterns. They are letting you know that the priming solution isn't mixed well with the beer. So don't bottle till it is.

Or do you bottle prime? I'm not a fan, but that's a valid way if you can control the accuracy of the small amount of sugar or sugar solution you put in them.

 

[Zwerg]

Thanks. I'm planning on priming in the bottling bucket. Hopefully even if it ends up carbed higher than intended, the strong bottles should protect me...

 

[Cloud Surfer]

I use a TILT to watch the SG throughout the fermentation. It adds another layer of fun to the process as well. Using the TILT I only have to do one hydrometer at the start for OG and one at the end to get FG so there’s minimum wastage due testing. I could probably get away without doing any hydrometer readings at all because I know my TILT under reads the actual SG by 4 points, so I could just go by that.